Freelancing paperwork?

[Dave Buckley]

Guys

 

As a new guy to the freelancing world I'm looking for a bit of advice when it comes to paperwork.

 

It's not a major issue at the minute but when it comes to it I imagine I'm going to need all sorts

 

 

• quotes
  
• invoices
  
• contracts
  
• standard t's and c's
  

 

I've read bits and bobs about what is needed and obviously everything differs.

 

I just wondered about how you current freelancers are going about things and more specifically the paperwork side of things.

 

For example, a client wants you to do a job. You meet with them to discuss the project. Then what?

 

You go away and knock up a quote based on requirements understood from the meeting?

 

What do you include in the quote? Do you attach a contract? Do you wait for them to agree with the quote before sending over a contract?

 

The way I've understood it is as follows (a general overview)

 

Quote with Contract attached - contract including project breakdown and t's and c's?

Invoice for a deposit

Receive deposit

Do the work

Send final invoice on completion

Receive payment

Hand over deliverables

 

Is this the general consensus? Is the quote part of a contract anyway or is it a separate document?

 

Cheers for any help guys

[mattclinch]

for me it was always...

 

Quote and Standard T&C's

Possible Redraft of Quote / Standard T&C's

Contract/ T&C's / Instruction to Proceed

Invoice for a deposit (deposit? you'll be lucky..)

Receive deposit (see above)

Do the work

Send final invoice on completion

Receive payment

Hand over deliverables

 

it is unlikely that you will get payment before handing over the images. I know thats the ideal way of working, but in the real world i've found it just doesn't work like that. finance departments and the architects are often separate entities. good luck though.

 

drop me an email and i can send you examples of all my paperwork.

[Jonathan Sanchez]

Hey Dave..yep that is pretty much my standard flow too. I've designed my contact to also be the the quote, so if a person sees my quote, they can also see all the other info pertinent to the process, and if they accept, sign and it becomes an agreement.

 

- Quote / Agreement

- Invoice for a deposit... even, tho as matt said above, some clients don't like this, I always stress I require it and most of the time they'll go along, unless he is someone I've worked with for long and I trust.

- do the work

- receive final approval

- send final invoice

- receive payment

- send finals over and receipt of payment

[Dave Buckley]

excellent guys, good to know. I've heard the term proposal crop up a lot? Is that encompassed within the contract/agreement or is it a separate document.

[kippu]

i dont know how it works over there but over here , an architect/developer calls up with his project and then gives a brief and asks me to develop a proposal giving out details as in so many renders / animations with a list giving out a rough schedule( which will never be followed ) and with rates, which over here is called "proposal"

[dande]

I put together a detailed proposal giving as much detail as possible. I've been caught out a few times were I didn't put all the detail.

 

Especially in the current climate a lot of clients want everything for nothing. They will also try to drive you down. If you can its not a bad idea to put a bit of fat in there so when they try and drive you down you can let them drive you down to you real price. But you don't want you price to put them off either. You can try and argue with them on price saying that it will cost you this and cost you that, but they really don't want to hear that they just want the best service for the best price they can get. The reason this is happening is they are being squeezed by their clients.

 

On the deposit side as Matt Clinch says you'll be lucky. But put it in there you might be lucky. I haven't had any clients that paid on delivery. You invoice and they usually take at least 30 days before they pay. I had 1 client who had a system were he didn't pay for 90 days.

 

Another thing to remember is that if you going to be late with a deadline. Keep them informed.

 

You may have seen this. See the link below it was on a post some ago on quote and contracts.

 

Good luck I hope it goes well.